The Facts

SFUSD Superintendent Maria Su testified Wednesday before the House Education and Workforce Committee. Republican members pressed Su on drag queen story hour, pronouns, bathrooms, and parental-rights policy.

It wasn't all bluster, though. In a rare across-the-aisle moment, Republican-turned-Independent Representative Kevin Kiley called recent SFUSD changes "encouraging," pointing to the district’s improved finances and the return of Algebra 1 in middle school.

On Monday, the Justice Department opened a compliance review of SFUSD and three other California districts over parent opt-outs for sexual-orientation and gender-identity instruction.

The Context

Su has spent the past year trying to steady the district: SFUSD adopted a balanced $1.3 billion budget, restored Algebra 1 in eighth grade, and says its core goals are third-grade literacy and eighth-grade math.

The GrowSF Take

Congress can stage culture-war hearings if it wants, but San Franciscans should stay focused on whether SFUSD can raise reading performance and math performance. That is what matters for kids.